Filter panel corner construction



Nov 15, 1955 o. H. SCHAAF 2,723,731

7 FILTER PANEL CORNER CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 25, 1951 INVENTOR.

O/l'ver H Schaaf ATTORNEYS all."

United States Patent FILTER PANEL CORNER CONSTRUCTION Oliver H. Schaaf,Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to Air- Maze Corporation, Cleveland,Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 25, 1951, Serial No.253,095

2 Claims. (Cl. 189-36) This invention relates to improvement in framestructure and more particularly to easily assembled frame structure.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide in amultiplesided frame of the type described means for locking said sides togetherinto a rigid frame formation and for permitting easy assembly of theframe.

Other'features of this invention reside in the arrangement and design ofthe parts for carrying out their appropriate functions.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from theaccompanying drawings and description and the essential features will beset forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the novel frame structure described inthis application and containing foraminous filter material;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view in disassembled condition of the corner atthe lower left of Fig. 1 which forms the easily assembled connectionbetween the adjacent sides;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sides shown in Fig. 2 but shows themin their assembled position; while Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Those familiar with the frame construction art will recognize that thisinvention may be applied in many ways. For example, the frame may beused to hold a picture or sign for display, to form a partition, or tosupport a plate or any other type of flat object. I have chosen toillustrate the novel frame set forth herein as supporting filtermaterial for filtering a fluid stream. The filter material may be of anyknown type and forms no part of this invention. The novelty exists inthe frame structure.

The closed frame in Fig. 1 may have any number of sides desired but forpurposes of illustration it is shown as being rectangular or square.This frame is formed from a continuous length member, preferably sheetmetal, channel-shaped in section, and having three pairs of spacedninety degree notches cut in the channel flanges along its length. Thecontinuous length is bent at each of these pairs of notches to form acorner of the frame shown in Fig. 1. This 90 degree notch helps maintaina 90 degree angle between the adjacent sides of the frame. Thecontinuous length of channel section, in its bent form shown in Fig. 1,provides a multiple sided frame having sides 11, 12, 13, and 14.

A connection is provided for joining the free ends of sides 11 and 14,as seen in the lower left hand corner in Fig. 1. One of these adjacentsides, side 11, has a tongue 15 at the corner lying within the channelform of side 11. The distal end of the tongue extends away from thecorner and extends parallel to the channel web 11a of the side 11. Thistongue is an integral extension of the web which is formed by bending itinwardly back upon the web so that the tongue lies in a planesubstantially parallel to the web. The second adjacent side 14 has aU-shape projection 16 for embracing the tongue 15 when the sides areconnected together. The channel web 14a of side 14 at the corner isprovided with a bend inwardly at right angles to the web and then areturn bend extending outwardly at right angles to the web. When thefree ends of the continuous channel length are joined, the tongue 15lies within the U-shape projection 16, as shown in Fig. 4.

The connection joining the free ends also includes coacting means onadjacent sides 11 and 14 for preventing removal of tongue 15 from theU-shape projection 16 after the corner is assembled. A pair of tonguesor lugs 17 are struck up from the web 11a of side 11. These tongues orlugs 17 are bent inwardly substantially at right angles to web 11a andinto engagement with the bottom of the U-shape projection 16, as shownin Fig. 4, to lock the tongue 15 in the U-shape projection 16. Thesetongues or lugs 17 are attached to the web 11a a distance from thecorner or free end of side 11 substantially equal to the spacing of thebottom of the U-shape projection 16 from the outer surface of web 14a.Then, the corner of the frame has a flush outer surface, as seen inFigs. 3 and 4.

This coacting means for locking the corner together also includes meansto prevent endwise movement of the tongue 15 out of the U-shapeprojection 16. Sides 11 and 14 being channel shapevin section have, inaddition to their respective webs 11a and 14a, inwardly directed flanges11b, 11c and 14b, 140 respectively. These inwardly directed parallelflanges serve a dual purpose. First, they retain the filter materialwithin the frame. Second, by overlying the ends of parts 15 and 16 (seeFig. 3) they prevent endwise removal of tongue 15 from the U-shape 16after the corner is assembled. The end of flanges 11b and adjacent thecorner are beveled at a 45 degree angle with respect to the web 11a andresemble one half of one of the notches 10. Flanges 14b and have offsetportions or flanges 14b and 14c, respectively, which are spaced somewhatcloser together than the flanges 14b and 14c. The offset bend in eachflange is at approximately a 45 degree angle to the web 14a. When thefree ends are joined at the corner, the flange 11b lies over the oflsetportion or flange 14b while the flange 11c lies below the portion 14c,and the offset bends in the flanges 14b and 14c butt against theinclined ends of flanges 11b and 110 respectively in a manner similar tothe edge of each flange in one of the notches 10 previously described.Hence, the flanges 11b and 11c resiliently snap into place and bearagainst the outer surfaces of flanges 14b and 14c to prevent endwiseseparation of tongue 15 from U-shape projection 16. Of course, it isapparent that the corner construction on the flanges of side 11 could beinterchanged with that on side 14, if desired, so that flanges 14b and14c lie outside of flanges 11b and 110.

The connection may also include coacting means on adjacent sides formaintaining a predetermined angle between these adjacent sides. In arectangular or square frame, this angle would be 90 degrees. Inwardlydirected projections 18, at right angles to portions 14b and 14c, arecarried by flanges 14b and 14c. These projections are spaced from thecorner and engage the inner surface of the channel web 11a in Fig. 4just to the right of the apertures formed by struck up lugs or tongues17 as viewed in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The projections 18 along with thethree notches 10 and the offset bends between flanges 14b and 14b andbetween 14c and 14c maintain a 90 degree angle between each pair of theadjacent sides 11, 12, 13, and 14.

It should now be apparent that the frame may be assembled into finishedform by bending the continuous lengths of channel shape material into arectangular or square structure, as shown in Fig. 1, inserting tongue 15into U-shape projection 16 while flanges 11b and 11c pass around theoffset flanges 14b and 146', and then bending tongues or lugs 17 to theposition shown in Fig. 4 to lock the corner connections together. Thisframe is especially suitable for use as a retaining or holding means forforaminous filter material.

, Various changes in details and arrangements of parts can be made byone skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of thisinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A frame for supporting filter material, said frame having a pluralityof sides connected together and forming a closed frame formation, eachside being channelshape in section with the web of the channel forming aportion of the outer periphery of the frame and with the two flanges ofthe channel inwardly directed for retaining the filter material in saidframe, a connection on at least one corner of said frame joining firstand second adjacent sides of said frame, said connection comprising atongue carried by said first side adjacent the corner within the channelof said first side and having its distal end spaced from and extendingaway from said corner, a U-shape projection on said second side at saidcorner having a first leg connected with said second side and extendinginwardly at right angles to the web of said second side and having asecond leg spaced from and parallel to said first leg and connectedthereto by a reverse bend, said two legs embracing said tongue, a membercarried by at least one of said channel flanges of one of said sides andspaced from said corner engaging the inner surface of the channel web ofthe other of said sides for maintaining a predetermined angle betweensaid sides at said corner, and coacting means on said adjacent sides forpreventing the removal of said tongue from said U-shape projection, saidmeans including the flanges of the channel of one of said sides lyingwithin and contiguous to the flanges of the channel of the other of saidsides, and means carried by said first side engaging the bottom of saidU-shape projection, said last mentioned means comprising at least onetongue struck up from said first frame and bent into engagement with thebottom of said U- shape projection.

2. A rectangular frame comprising a continuous length of channel sectionbent to provide four sides and having the free ends joined at onecorner, the channel web of one side at said corner extending beyond itsassociated flanges and bent inwardly at right angles to said web andthen having a return bend outwardly providing a U-shape projection, theweb of the other side at said corner extending beyond its associatedflanges and being bent back inwardly upon itself to provide a tonguefitting into said U -shape projection, and at least one tongue struck upfrom the web of said other side and attached to said other side at adistance from said corner substantially equal to the spacing of thebottom of said U-shape projection from said corner, said struck uptongue lying contiguous to the bottom of said U-shape projection andlocking said first mentioned tongue into said U-shape projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,002,781 Swart Sept. 5, 1911 1,190,759 Harrington July 11, 19162,047,835 Prew July 14, 1936 2,152,374 Burr Mar. 28, 1939 2,421,743Cartter et al. June 10, 1947 2,597,927 Endres May 27, 1952

